The Hotel With the 'Worst View in the World'
By: Grace Friar/Arab America Contributing Writer
Anonymous England-based artist, Banksy, has become internationally famous for his graffiti, which includes powerful messages. His artwork remains a larger-than-life voice for people who find themselves struggling in silence. Nestled against the border wall in Palestine is an interactive art experience built by Banksy in March 2017, called the “Walled Off Hotel.” Originally, the hotel was meant to operate for only one year, but soared in popularity and continues to run without a sign of closing.
The hotel has grown so popular that it competes with the Church of the Nativity, the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been born.
This art installation has quickly become one of Palestine’s biggest success stories in the face of Israeli occupation as it draws people to the wall and feeds the economy through tourism. The hotel has grown so popular that it competes with the Church of the Nativity, the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been born. Considering the vast amount of historical, religious, and natural sites in Palestine, especially all possessing extreme cultural significance, tourism plays a huge role in the Palestinian economy despite the seemingly underperforming numbers. Israeli occupation has purposefully dampened tourist numbers to undermine the Palestinian economy. Measures were put into place with the sole design of time consumption and intimidation to visitors as they attempt to cross through the wall to visit Palestine.
Palestinian tourism fell toward the second half of 2015, as violence erupted causing tourist numbers to fall nearly 11 percent from the 2.53 million people in 2014, despite best efforts to revitalize tourism by the Palestinian Authority and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. In 2015, an estimated 981,315 people stayed in hotels, compared to 2014’s number of 1,211,561, which dried up income for hotels and totaled losses in the tourism sector to about 15 percent of Palestinian GDP. Tourism has quickly become the main vehicle of Israeli occupation and settlement. Read here on how to support the Palestinian economy through tourism.
In spite of Israel’s best efforts to curb tourism through a daunting and time-consuming checkpoint, the Walled Off Hotel attracts around 700 people a day and also encourages tourists to spend more time in West Bank. Attracting visitors from around the world, including Israeli citizens, this hotel gives a brief but potent taste of life in Israeli occupied Palestine. Banksy’s artwork on the wall and inside the hotel, as well as other renowned artists, has ultimately turned the oppressive 700-kilometer-long wall into an improbable tourist destination.
“How illegal is it to vandalize a wall if the wall itself has been deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice?”This all-in-one hotel, museum, protest, and gallery resides in Area C, a part of the West Bank classified under full Israeli control by the Oslo Accords, which means the Israeli military cannot ban their citizens from visiting. Visitors here, including Israeli citizens, can educate themselves on the reality faced by Palestinians all under the guise of viewing artwork by the anonymous Banksy.
The museum is said to be the most comprehensive to ever document Israel’s methods of colonization and control over Palestine, as well as the history of Palestinian resistance. The theater inside plays excerpts from the Oscar-nominated film “Five Broken Cameras” and includes one bullet-damaged camera used in its filming. The museum is curated by Dr. Gavin Grindon from Essex University with fully fact-checked material and continues to be a repository for local stories, artifacts, and testimonies. The museum bookshop does not sell the normal trinkets of today’s museums, but is stocked with every book ever written about the wall and allows residents to borrow them for a small deposit.
The gallery housed in the Walled Off Hotel has “complete autonomy from the rest of the hotel” as it is the largest permanent platform for Palestinian artists to showcase their work. Hosting names like Suliman Mansour and Nail Anani, the museum has ever-changing exhibits due to a roster of local curators. The gallery sells all original work, prints, and postcards.
The museum is said to be the most comprehensive to ever document Israel’s methods of colonization and control over Palestine, as well as the history of Palestinian resistance.
The hotel itself only has nine rooms, but hosts some 700 visitors a day and hosted 50,000 visitors on its first anniversary. Rooms start at $30 a night and stretches to $965 a night for accommodation in the Presidential Suite. Upon arrival, guests are required to pay a $1000 down payment to ensure the safety and integrity of the artwork in each room. Guests are also issued inventory upon arrival that must be signed upon departure to declare that no art was pilfered, as a strict “no mementos” policy is enforced. The rooms are all thematically designed and curated; however, only a few contain Banksy’s original work. Artists Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin are also responsible for the curation of these rooms that fall under three categories: Scenic, Budget, and Presidential.
Scenic
“The hotel boasts floor to ceiling views of graffiti-strewn concrete from almost every room. And for the exhibitionists amongst you – many are within range of the army watchtower. All scenic rooms are ensuite and equipped with wifi, fridge, radio, personal safe and air conditioning.”
Budget
“Outfitted with surplus items from an Israeli military barracks, this room offers a bed from $60 a night. No frills, includes locker, personal safe, shared bathroom, complimentary earplugs.”
Presidential
“This palatial suite is equipped with everything a corrupt head of state would need – a plunge bath able to accommodate up to four revelers, original artwork, library, home cinema, roof garden, tiki bar, and a water feature made from a bullet-riddled water tank. Comes with a complete set of Dead Sea bath minerals and an in-room dining service available upon request. Sleeps up to four adults.”
Banksy usually maintains a status quo of secrecy and temporary art; however, the Walled Off Hotel has become an exception. Moved by Palestinian “sumud” or steadfastness in the face of Israeli pressure and aggression, the Walled Off Hotel continues to welcome patrons. Banksy, as well as the rest of the hotel staff, continue to support this installation as its disappearance would only please Israeli authorities as the popular artistic commentary on the brutal and realistic reality of occupation would be silenced.
Source: http://walledoffhotel.com/
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